Apparatus for treating granular material.



'L. TOPF' APPARATUS FOR TREATING GRANUL-AR MATERIAL. APPLICATIONFILED'MAY 20, 1913.

1 ,094,1 78, Patented Apr. 21, 191i 50m qfiwmd'or: d9, Why. wzwlj 1:LUnWIG TOPF, or ERFURT, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING GRAN ULAR MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 20, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914..

Serial No. 768,869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUDWIG Torr, subject of the German Emperor, residingat Erfurt, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Treating Granular Material, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for treating granular material,both for cleaning purposes and for preparing the grain, as

by steeping, germinating, aerating, drying and in other ways whichrequire the use of a compartment which may be opened and closed for thepurpose of cutting off or permitting the ingress of air.

The improvement of the present invention rests in the construction of adrum particularly adapted for treating granular material, the drum beingone of the type which is used in the apparatus described in my pendingapplication Ser. No. 689,336, filed April 8,. 1912, for drum for-theworking of any kind of grain.

More particularly, my invention has for its object to provide animproved construction for aerating drums, and has also for its object toprovide an improved means in connection with an aerating drum foropening and closing the casing thereof to permit the circulation of airor to hermetically seal the contents of the drum from contact with theatmosphere. That is, it is an object of this invention to construct anaerating drum, in which the casing consists of a plurality of segmentalmembers which form a series of pockets for catching and tossing thegrain when the drum is rotated, said segments, as a whole constituting acylindrical shell capable of concentric rotation around its axis.Further, the object of the invention is to provide a closure foraerating drums which may be inserted in the peripheral portion of thedrum without unduly unbalancing the latter by the addition of the extraweight on one side, and which will give the drum a more symmetrical andbalanced appearance.

WVith these objects in view, my invention will be hereinafter fullydescribed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a transverse section through the drum, and Fig. 2 is a view,partly in section on line AB of Fig. 1, and partly in elevation.

Referring more particularly to said drawings, a indicates a central pipewhich carries the drum casing B, and through which air is supplied tothe interior of the drum, the pipe being partially perforated. Said pipeas is adapted to rotate with the drum casing B, and the processes whichare usually carried out in the drum require that the pipe or conduit abe perforated throughout a part of its periphery, so that when the drum18 at a standstill as shown in Fig. 1 with the air-circulation openings,which are hereinafter described, swung to the lowest part of the drum,the air issuing from the pipe will circulate, through the path of leastresistance, first out of the pipe upwardly through the thinnest layer ofgrain, then downwardly through the grain around said pipe and then outof the drum below the pipe. Or, when the drum is being rotated and thegrain is in a state of agitation, the passage of the air through thedrum after leaving the central pipe will be as circuitous and completethrough the grain as possible.

The drum-casing B is formed of a plurality of segments 7), which arejoined together by being secured to the intermediate strip members 0.Said segments 7) are formed of sections of sheet metal whoselongitudinal edges are turned inwardly, as at d, so that the segmentsare in reality a series of troughs or pockets forming a symmetricalcylinder externally, but internally providing longitudinal peripheralrecesses for catching and tossing the grain as the cylinder or drum isrotated, the joints be tween the several segments being renderedair-tight so that the grain which is being worked in the cylinder can betreated without influence from the external atmosphere.

It is desirable, however, in certain steps of the treatments, as abovenoted, to circulate air through the grain, or to permit the externalatmosphere to have access to the interior of the drum through the drumcas- .ing. For accomplishing either of these purposes, the drum isprovided with peripheral openings in the following manner: One or moreof the segments 1) is suitably cut out to form apertures of any desiredconformation, the openings extending longitudinally of the segments, orbeing in the form of rectangular or circular man-holes. Covers orclosures g are suitably mounted over said openings and provided with anydesired or suitable locking devices 3, the most necessary requisite ofthe closures and locking devices being that they hermetically seal theopenings. In order to permit the grain in the drum to be worked with theclosures to the openings removed, partition screens are necessary. Inthe improved apparatus of this invention, the openings are covered bythe perforated sheet or plates an Said plates 7" are secured on theinside of the drum, to the inwardly projecting flanges or edges of thesegments Z), and extend over the whole number of segments which are cutout to form the openings. Longitudinally, the plates extend over thewhole length of the segments forming the drum, so that a clear air spaceis formed inside of each pocket-like segment which is provided with theopenings and screens or perforated plates, so that the grain may beexposed to the air over the whole length of the drum. By thisarrangement, the covers q can be removed from the drum casing, andexternal air can gain access to the grain contained therein, either whenthe drum is at a stand-still or is still being revolved, or the graincan be treated with air by circulation from the interior of thedrum-pipe a outwardly to the drum casing by the method of circulationhereinbefore described,

It is evident from the above that by the present construction a moresymmetrical drum is provided, and one which is more easily rotatable,when loaded with a full quota of grain, by reason of the fact that theclosure plates and perforated plates are located nearer to the axis ofthe drum, so that they exert less leverage which will retard oraccelerate the movement when the drum is rotated. Also, the perforatedplates 9" are so located with respect to the inwardly extending edges ofthe segments 6 that there is no danger of the grain being packed in thepockets of the segments through which the air can pass by the passage ofthe air, so that the openings will become clogged.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is 1. A drum for working granularmaterial, comprising in combination, a drum casing consisting of aplurality of inwardly flanged segments and having air openings in someof said segments, closures for said airopenings, and perforated platesextending across the flanges of said segments having openings.

2. A drum for working granular material, comprising in combination, adrum casing consisting of a plurality of inwardly flanged segments andhaving air openings in some of said'segments, closures for saidair-openings, and perforated plates extending across saidflangedsegments in spaced relation to said closures.

3. A drum for working granular materials, comprising in combination, arotary drum casing having a series of inwardly projecting longitudinalflanges, and having air openings between some of said flanges, closuresfor said air openings and perforated plates extending over said airopenings and resting on the adjacent flanges in spaced relation to saidclosures.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LUDWIG TOPF.

Witnesses Znnwro Zorrnsn, Gnone CIIUNDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

